ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 37618
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| Date: | Wednesday 5 May 1999 |
| Time: | 19:45 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 172 Skyhawk |
| Owner/operator: | Frank C. Thomas [co- Owner] |
| Registration: | N30DS |
| MSN: | 28761 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4274 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental O-300A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Fontana, NC -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Jacksonville, FL (JAX |
| Knoxville, TN (KDKX) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot made radio contact with approach control, level at 8,500 feet, and was advised that the tops of the clouds were at 7,000 feet msl, and that the base of the clouds in the area were at 3,400 feet msl. The pilot said, '...I can see the...seven thousand footers I've got uh ground contact.' The controller said, '...roger are you familiar with the mountainous terrain.' The pilot answered, 'yes sir.' About 8 minutes after initial contact, radio and radar contact were simultaneously lost. The airplane impacted in mountainous rising terrain, in a heavily wooded area. Due to bad weather, extremely rough terrain, and the remoteness of the crash site, ground searchers could not reach the wreckage for a couple of days. The following exchange occurred between two ATC controllers referance weather conditions at Knoxville and N30DS's position, '...[he is] tryin to dodge clouds and stuff...I don't see any breaks...well he says he sees the ground...well good luck (unintelligible) he better descend if he can because there's no breaks out this way but oh well that's for him to decide....' The airframe, engine, and propeller were examined and no discrepancies were found. Control cable continuity was confirmed to all the flight controls
Probable Cause: the pilot continued visual flight into know weather conditions which resulted in reduced visibility, and the subsequent in-flight collision with rising terrain. Factors in this accidents were clouds and low ceiling in the accident area.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB MIA99FA150
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 26-Nov-2017 15:15 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Apr-2024 06:12 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
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